Substance Use Disorder

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MedlinePlus is a service of the National Library of Medicine, the largest biomedical library in the world. Use MedlinePlus.gov anywhere, anytime, on any device - for free - to discover high-quality health and wellness information that is reliable, easy to understand, and free of advertising, in both English and Spanish.

Discover information on:

• Alcohol Use Disorder
• Drug Use and Addiction 
• Opioids and Opioid Use Disorder (in multiple languages)

Also discover MyHeathfinder.gov to learn how to Talk with Your Doctor About Drug Misuse and to find other easy-to-read Substance Use and Misuse information.

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The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. NIH is made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, each with a specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems.

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is the largest supporter of the world’s research on substance use and addiction and plays a major role in HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term^SM). Launched in April 2018, this initiative, funded by Congress, provides scientific solutions to the national opioid overdose crisis, including improved treatment strategies for pain as well as opioid use disorders (OUDs). The agency also sponsors National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) to stimulate educational events in communities so teens can learn what science has taught us about drug use and addiction.
• National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism advances research alcohol's impact on health.
• National Institute of Mental Illness researches and transforms the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses including drug, alcohol, or tobacco addiction. Multiple national population surveys have found that about half of those who experience a mental illness during their lives will also experience a substance use disorder and vice versa. [Source]
• The Network of the National Library of Medicine is an education outreach program of the National Library of Medicine, the largest biomedical library in the world. The outreach efforts of the NNLM assure that researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce and the public are aware of and have access to quality health information.
  • NNLM Region 7 offers a Graphic Medicine Book Club kit for Sobriety: A Graphic Novel by Daniel Maurer and Spencer Amundson. The kit includes a discussion guide.
  • Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Guide is a collection of trusted, high quality resources on substance abuse. The guide is broken down by audience and includes specific resources for a general audience, libraries, educators, community-based organizations, public health, resources by age and population. The guide also includes recordings of SUD focused webinars that were sponsored by the NNLM.
  • Understanding the Opioid Crisis: Where Do I Begin? (Recorded October 16, 2020) This one hour, Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) online training is appropriate for anyone providing health information to the general public including public and medical librarians, patient or community educators, and healthcare professionals.​ This recording will help you to understand what addiction and opioids are and where you can find authoritative information to understand this complex epidemic. You also will learn how to discuss many of these resources and explore ideas for their use in community outreach education and programs in your library or organization.

Discover More

• FindTreatment.gov is a confidential and anonymous resource for persons seeking treatment for mental and substance use disorders in the United States and its territories.
• National Drug and Alcohol IQ Challenge
• Drugs of Abuse videos by Learn. Genetics
• People Recover tells the story of living with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders [SAMSHA PDF 36 pages]
• Supporting a Loved One Dealing with Mental and/or Substance Use Disorders: Starting the Conversation [SAMSHA PDF 1 page]
• Reducing Stigma: Understanding Addiction and Supporting Recovery [CDC PDF 3 pages]
• Talking to Kids About Alcohol and Other Drugs: 5 Conversation Goals [SAMSHA PDF 2 pages] 
• Fadeaway by Elaine Vickers is a young adult story of a high school basketball star who goes missing and the town's secrets that are exposed. "A compassionate look at the opioid crisis with a compelling opening that will hook readers right away." - School Library Journal | WorldCat | [Discussion Guide PDF]
• Use the CDC's Opioid and Health Indicators Database to find counties most at risk of an HIV or a hepatitis C outbreak to help raise awareness of hepatitis testing. 
• Take Action Against Hepatitis C [SAMSHA PDF 29 pages]
• Pathways to Safer Opioid Use is an interactive one-hour training that promotes the appropriate, safe, and effective use of opioids to manage chronic pain.
• What causes opioid addiction, and why is it so tough to combat? Mike Davis | TED-Ed | May 2020    
  
• HHS Presents How to Save a Life: Live Naloxone Demonstration | September 15, 2023
• Harm Reduction Article